Valka's Apprentice
by Stormdragonrider
Summary: AU. Valka wasn't the only one to be carried off by a dragon. Cloudjumper brings in a young child one day, a child Valka decides to raise as her own. But years later, both of their pasts catch up to them.
1. Act 1: An unexpected visitor

**Hello, trying my hand at writing a How To Train Your Dragon Fanfic. In fact, trying my hand at my first fanfic. Let me know what you guys think of it. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Guess i'll find out.**

**Enjoy.**

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><p>The night was lit up by fire. From a distance, the island looked like a gigantic torch, a point of flickering light in the vast ocean of blackness. Still, to the inhabitants, the sight was a common one.<p>

A very common one.

In the village perched on the islands cliffs, people ran this way and that, hoisting weapons of every description as they fought to protect their homes. Swords and axes sang as the tore through the smoke-filled air. Bolas and arrows whirled and whistled as their wielders launched them up into the darkness, sometimes hitting, but many times missing.

This was Berk, an island at war with dragons.

There was hardly a building in the village that was not in flames, or at least about to be. The dragons came in from every angle of attack, lighting up the night with their fiery breath and crushing wooden houses with long, vicious talons. Fortunately, most of the villagers were out fighting, lashing out at the winged beasts as they swooped in low. Everyone else was holed up inside the giant stony structure of the Great Hall, calmly waiting for the fighters to drive off the nuisance. After all, dragon attacks were common enough.

But there was one person who was neither out fighting beside the warriors, nor inside the safety of the Great Hall. The little girl was still inside her house, which was rapidly nearing the point of collapse. She was coughing violently, struggling to look for some escape through eyes that stung so very much. She beyond simple fear at that point. For the first time in short life, the girl realized that she was going to die.

Fate had other ideas.

The girl felt the floor beneath her give way. She felt the heat of the flames begin to bite at her skin. She tried to draw in breath for one last instinctive screams, but she took in a mouthful of smoke instead. And so she fell.

Something wrapped around the girls arms, but she was hardly conscious enough to register the fact. Whatever it was, it was lifting her up….and up, and up, and up! The girl wondered if she was being carried all the way to Valhalla. When she finally regained her senses, however, she realized that her nightmare was not yet over.

It was a dragon. A massive, fire-spitting, man-eating dragon.

It was way too much for the young girl to take in. Her screams pierced the air of the burning village for an instant before she fainted away.

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><p>"Where is he?" Valka said to herself. In her years spent living with no one to talk to but dragons, she had developed the habit of speaking her thoughts out loud, just so she could remember that she was human. It was also a comfort for her, a way of holding onto her past.<p>

She was currently wandering through the dragon sanctuary of the Alpha Bewilderbeast, picking her way carefully through the masses of sleeping dragons. Indeed, Valka herself would have been sleeping, but for the fact that one dragon in particular dragon was missing.

Cloudjumper, the Stormcutter whom she preferred to ride on more than any other dragon, was nowhere to be found. Normally, such a thing wouldn't have bothered her, for Cloundjumper would often come and go as he pleased. He was a friend, after all, not a pet.

Still, Valka hadn't seen Cloudjumper all day, and with the recent increase of dragon trappers hunting the icy waters of the Archipelago, she was beginning to think something had happened to him.

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind, however, than she saw the familiar shape of her dragon gliding into the sanctuary. Valka let out a sigh of relief, instantly turning to make for the small cave that the two of them slept in.

She was in for a surprise.

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><p>The dragons had finally let up on their attack. As always, the dragons fled as the sun worked it's slow way over the distant horizon. It was only then that the Vikings had a chance to fully regroup, assess their losses, and count their dead.<p>

Standing before the ruins of a blacked husk that had once been her home, a woman, sobbed into her hands, whispering the worlds "my little girl" over and over through the tears. Off to the side, watching his poor wife, was a main, trying to hold back his tears for the sake of his young son, who kept asking his dad where his sister was.

There was not a person on Berk unfamiliar with death. The death of a loved one, the of family, or the death of a friend. Yet accepting those deaths never got any easier. And so the the village gathered around the grieving mother, bowing their heads, praying that the soul of the young girl would be accepted into Valhalla.

As the woman knelt in front of her destroyed home, she clutched something small t her chest. A small necklace, set with a tiny blue gemstone, a gift she had given to her daughter on her ninth birthday, only days before. Clutching it until she feared it might shatter, the woman let wail of grief, screaming at the gods that would so take her little girl from her.

Such was the cost of war.

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><p>Valka was stunned to the point of speechlessness. After she reunited with Cloudjumper, she was shocked to find out that he had not come back from his little escapade empty handed, or rather empty clawed. She had seen that he was carrying something in his claws when she had entered the cave in which they slept, but she had assumed it was just something he had brought back to the nest to eat.<p>

Instead, he brought back a human girl.

Valka studied the unconscious girl, who was now sprawled out across the floor of the small, rocky enclosure. She couldn't have been more than ten years old, though it was hard to make out much of her through the layers of soot and ash that covered her. Her hair was a soft golden colour, and she was of rather slender build. Beneath the covering of ashes, the skin of her face was pale, and her breath was raspy and uneven.

It took a moment for Valka to begin to react at all, though when she did she moved quickly. Valka picked up the small girl and placed her on her on her own bed, which was really no more than a collection of furs stacked on top of each other. Then she ran over to a deeper part of the cave and fetched a few dry leaves that had been stored their earlier. With practiced motions, she began mashing up the leaves in a small bowl of water, then brought that bowl over to the sleeping girl. In tiny, tiny sips, for Valka did not wish to chock the girl, she poured the mixture the girls mouth, a few drops ata time. The girl was able to swallow, mostly on reflex, and by the time the bowl was empty, she seemed to be breathing a little bit easier.

That done, Valka turned back to Cloundjumper.

"Where did you find her?" Valka asked, speaking in a soft whisper.

The dragon walked over to the makeshift stone table near the wall of the cave and began scratching at it with one of his claws.

Valka followed him over. On that table, Valka had carved out a rough map of the area that surrounded the dragon sanctuary. Names of a dozen or so islands were scrawled along the surface, and the one that Cloudjumper indicated was familiar indeed to Valka.

"Berk" she said softly. That one word brought back a host of memories for the woman. Memories of what she once was, what she was before…

She looked back at the girl.

Before she was kidnapped by a dragon.

Valka's first instinct was that she had to take the girl back to her family, but she discarded that idea before it came to fruition. A girl who is supposedly killed in a raid, then mysteriously comes back to life? Doing that would raise to many questions, and the girl would probably be in more danger from her fellow Vikings than any kind of dragon attack.

Valka thought of perhaps taking her to another village, somewhere where she could start over, where less would be known about her, and where hopefully, less questions would be asked. After she thought that over, though, she discarded that idea as well. The people of Berk might take someone in if they asked, but other Viking tribes were not nearly as friendly, from what Valka had observed. They would hardly be quick to accept a lost boy out of the goodness of their hearts, much less a girl. To them, such a child would only be another mouth to feed, and in a part of the world where food was less than bountiful as it was.

That left one option open to Valka, unless she wanted to simply abandon the girl in the wilderness, which she wouldn't do.

Valka could raise the girl herself.

At first, the idea sounded ludicrous to the dragon rider. Yes, she had lived here by herself for just over a decade, but it was no place to raise a child. Moreover, could this child even live with dragons? Would she paralyzed by her fear for them? Would she every be able to change.

Honestly, Valka didn't know. She had seen on Berk that Vikings were not people who changed their ways. Over and over, she had asked to stop the fighting. Over and over, she had been rebuffed. Despite the horror and loss of war, the people would not stop and look for a better answer. The dragon problem could only be solved with swords and axes, so they believed.

Yet, could one of the younger ones be aught different? Valka wondered. At this age, she probably was filled more with fear of dragons than hatred, but could Valka change that?

A part of her, a very large part of her, hoped that the answer would be yes.

"So be it" she said quietly. She turned back to look at the girl in the bed. "Tomorrow, we will see if you are different."

With that, she laid back against Cloudjumper, who had curled up and fallen asleep. Leaning against his warm scales, Valka drifted off into slumber.

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><p><strong>Wow, I was able to do that all in one sitting. Yay! I'll see how often I'll be able to update. The next one will hopefully be up by Monday of next week, but I am making no promises. Anyway, thanks for reading, and have a nice day!<strong>


	2. Act 1: Saved BY a dragon

**Thanks for the follow I got for the last chapter. I've been pretty busy studying for exams this last week, and so I'm sorry I couldn't get the chapter up earlier. Well, when I can get the next chapter up depends on school, writer's block, and anything else that may get in my way. Anyway's on with the chapter.**

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><p>It always surprised Valka just how warm it could be when you lived inside a cave made almost entirely of ice. There was little sunlight that managed to crawl its way through the great ice spires to reach the inside of the cavern, but the heat of all of the dragon bodies made the sanctuary comfortable, if not cozy.<p>

All around the cavern, dragons were waking. Stretching the stiffness out of their bodies, they each rose to their feet before taking off, going through their daily routines with ease that came from day after day of repetition. But for one inhabitant of that particular sanctuary, this day was going to be anything but normal and routine.

Valka stretched the aches and weariness out of her muscles. Slowly, she stood up, holding onto Cloudjumper's side to support her as she stood up… wait, why was she sleeping with Cloudjumper?

Then she remembered.

Valka walked across the rooms to where the girl slept in the makeshift bed, moving quietly so as to disturb her or Cloudjumper, both of who were still fast asleep. She was relieved to find that the girls breathing seemed have evened out.

Once again, Valka was overcome by her thoughts and feeling when she looked at the child. How could she keep a child away from its family? Surely every child deserved to be with their family, their parents. And yet, Valka knew all too well that sometimes that simply could not be.

What would people say if they found out this child had been saved by a dragon? Valka had seen the uncompromising viewpoint of the people on Berk. To them, dragons were monsters from the very depths Helheim itself. If the people knew what happened….

She would never be safe, Valka knew. She wished, oh how she wished it was different, but she had learned to accept long ago that she was different, and that difference set her apart from those around her back when she lived on Berk. But she had made the choice to stay away, to live apart from those who couldn't accept her. And now she was making that choice for someone else, and a child, at that. Someone else's child.

Valka sighed, one that conveyed regret, frustration, and weariness with the world all at once.

It was then that she heard the girl begin to stir.

Valka quickly turned to her dragon.

"Cloudjumper!" She hissed.

The Stormcutter was up from his dozing in an instant, listening attentively to what Valka had to say.

"Could you leave for a bit?" Valka asked, more than a saddened that she had to ask this of her best friend. "I don't want the first thing she sees when she wakes up to be a…"

The intelligent dragon must have known exactly what she meant, for he was out of the cave in a heartbeat.

Valka then turned back to the girl, who was beginning to toss and turn under the covers. She placed a hand on her shoulder in a way that she hoped was comforting.

Instantly, the girl's eyes flew wide open, and her thrashing only increased.

"Shh, shh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay" Valka said,still holding onto the girl.

Gradually, the child began to calm down, though her eyes where still wide as can be as she looked around the small room, a place she had never seen before in her life.

"Where am I?" The girl asked in a very tiny voice.

"You are in my home" Valka replied, keeping her tone as cheerful as possible. Apparently, the girl only realized just then that she was talking to a complete stranger. Her eyes locked onto Valka's, and the dragon rider was momentarily stunned by the rich blue color of those eyes. Deep of blue that spoke of insight and wisdom, not something that Valka had seen lacking in much more mature and experienced Vikings.

"Who… who are you? Did you save me from the dragon?" the girl asked timidly, though with more confidence than before.

"My name is Valka, and no, I didn't save you from the dragon."

"Who did, then?"

One thing at a time, Valka thought to herself. Out loud she said," I'll tell you in a bit. Right now, why don't we have some food breakfast."

And so over the next hour, Valka was able cook (if it could be called cooking) so fish over a small fire pit in the floor of the little room for just that purpose. The dragon rider tried to strike up some kind of conversation with the girl, but Valka had never been much of social person. Her guest answered her with quick nods or shakes of her head.

And so silence filled the room for most of the time, but Valka could that the girl was itching to ask something. If it was the question that Valka thought it was, she was dreading it.

"Can you take me home?"

Valka had suspected the question, but it still hit her like a punch in the gut. For a few moments, Valka simply stood, feeling the gaze of those knowing blue eyes boring into her. But in her heart, Valka knew that lying would not make things easier.

The girl deserved the truth.

"I…I can't take you back home."

Deafening silence filled the room for many long seconds.

The girl starred openmouthed in pure shock. Valka saw in her eyes the hope drain away. The girls world was crumbling around her as she began to realize that things were changing, had already changed. And all the while, the dragon rider watched. Watched as the little girl's eyes filled with tears, and the sight tore at Valka's soul.

"W-Why not?" The girl asked, trying, and failing, to keep the quiver out of her voice.

"Because you were saved."

"S-saved from a d-dragon?"

"No. I believe that you were saved by a dragon."

Once again, the girl was stunned beyond words.

Valka saw an opportunity to make a impression.

"Dragons aren't monsters. They are kind, beautiful, amazing creatures. I once lived with Vikings like you, but they wouldn't believe that dragons were anything more than enemies. What would your friends, your family, say if they found out that a dragon had saved your life?"

"But I think, no I hope, that you can change." Valka continued not wanting to lose her momentum "If you let me, I can show you a different way."

Valka extended her hand towards the seated girl.

Everything in the room was still for a long, long time.

Perhaps this is too overwhelming for her, Valka thought, Perhaps it's too much.

Still Valka waited, holding out her hand to the girl, who stared up at her with a blank expression.

After a long , long while, Valka began to realize that it wasn't going to work. _The whole idea was too much for the girl to take in all at once_. Valka turned back towards the exit to the cave.

But she stopped dead when she felt a small hand slip into her own.

The girl grasped Valka's hand with her own, trembling only slightly, Valka noted.

"Show me " the girl said.

Valka clutched the girls hand more tightly, trying to impart some reassurance and comfort in that grip.

"Then come with me…" Valka said, then realized she hadn't even bothered to ask the girl her name. Maybe she had been around dragons for too long.

"What is your name, child."

"My name is Astrid"

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><p>Valka and Astrid walked hand in hand as they entered the sanctuary of the dragons.<p>

"I promise that if you do what I say, the dragons won't hurt you" Valka had cautioned.

Astrid nodded to Valka, seeming to hang off of the dragon riders every word as the dragon rider gave her some pointers about what to do when meeting dragons for the first time. No sudden movements, make eye contact, and keep your hands where the dragon could see them.

Still, that advice almost flew away as the two of them beheld the sanctuary of the Bewilder beast.

The cavern was gigantic, larger than any Viking structure that Astrid had ever seen, dwarfing even the great hall back on Berk. The ground was covered in vegetation, looking like a carpet of solid green spread across the entire cavern, and the walls and ceiling were made of solid ice, shaped into massive spikes that pointed upwards to the heavens.

And there were dragons.

Dragons of every size, shape and color were all over the sanctuary. Some of them flew, some crawled, some swam, and some burrowed. The amount of movement, of shifting bodies and rainbow-like patterns, was staggering.

"Oh my gods." Valka heard the Astrid whisper. The girl leaned into Valka a bit more, and the dragon rider wondered just how to introduce the girl to a dragon

Not very long after, the design was made for her.

Cloudjumper, seeing his rider emerge from her abode, rushed over to her from where he had been waiting a short distance away.

"Hey big guy" Valka walked over to her dragon, giving him a scratch under his chin as she took his head into her arms. She noticed Astrid standing well back from the dragon, near to the cave entrance.

Valka gestured for the girl to come over.

"Come on, he won't hurt you."

Astrid didn't seem very sure, but the way that Cloudjumper was acting toward Valka seemed to give her courage. Very slowly, Astrid walked closer to the Stormcutter, keeping her hands out wide to either side to show him she meant no harm.

"Be gentle, boy" Valka whispered to her dragon, though she knew it was mostly unnecessary. Cloudjumper probably wouldn't attack the girl if she came running at him, but Valka believed this was a good learning experience for her, in case she ever met a dragon more hostile an less fond of humans.

"That's it… a little closer….. now stop, and reach out your hand to him." Valka instructed Astrid, whose fear was beginning to give way to curiosity. Now she did as the dragon rider instructed, standing a few feet from Cloudjumper, arm extended, waiting for him to do something.

"Now call to him. His anme is Cloudjumper."

"Cloudjumper?"

Instantly, the dragon's head turned towards Astrid, who tensed at the sudden movement. But to his credit, he seemed to understand his role in this scenario. He reached his snout outward towards Astrid's outstretched hand. Valka knew from experience that the moments it would seem like an age before contact actually happened.

But it was worth it, Valka knew, as Cloudjumper's snout came in contact with Astrid's hand. She saw the shiver that went up the girl's spine. She saw her posture relax. She saw her expression go from curiosity to wonder to happiness. As Cloudjumper pulled back, Astrid moved her hand to his neck, stocking the sleek, scaled muscles. Her face was filled with awe as she focused completely on the dragon.

She didn't see Valka move up behind her.

"Well, good enough!" the dragon rider exclaimed. She grabbed Astrid under the arms and hoisted her up onto Cloudjumper's back.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Astrid cried out,

"Don't worry" Valka said, though she was smiling all the while " if you get to scared, we can land"

Valka moved up to sit behind the girl.

"Wait, land?" Astird said fearfully, clutching onto the scales at the back of Cloudjumper's neck.

"Don't worry about it." Valka replied. Before Astird could respond to that, Valka shouted. "Let's go Cloudjumper!"

With that, Cloudjumper shot up into the air.

**What do you guys think. Love it, hate it? Let me know**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Act 1: Right and Wrong

**Thanks for everyone (all of two people, one a guest, but hey, it's better than none) who reviewed my story the last two chapters. I'd like to especially thank 'travellerofadifferentpath' for the constructive feedback you gave last review. And in response to that feedback, there will indeed be a chapter where we go back to Berk and see what's what, but not for a bit. Also I know Astrid seems a bit out of character, but that will be remedied over the next few chapters as she settles into her new lifestyle.**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter so enjoy!**

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><p>Swooping out of the ice caves faster than the wind itself, Cloudjumper carried them high over the ocean. They soared so far that the island became no more than a tiny speck in the distance. The icy wind nipped at the two riders, wind that could chill a man to the bone.<p>

But neither Valka nor Astrid felt that wind.

For Valka, it was a familiar experience, yet one that had never gotten old for her. The exhilaration of such pure freedom was something she had never been able to find before she had ridden a dragon for the first time. The feeling that came with flowing so freely through the skies, as if one were unbound by the laws and cares of mortals, was something that Valka had grown to love very quickly. And by the reaction it got out of Astrid, Valka knew the girl was loving it as well.

Astrid had the biggest grin on her face as they glided through the clouds. Just looking at that beautiful smile caused Valka's face to stretch into a matching smile. It was like Valka, through Astrid, was experiencing what it was like to the first time all over again. At one point, Astrid even threw her arms high up over her head, and Valka let a laugh of pure joy escape her throat at the sight.

Happiness was doubled when shared.

For hours and hours, they simply glided over the vast expanse of blue. They hardly noticed the various islands that they passed over, for they seemed so insignificant from so high a viewpoint. Valka didn't worry about getting lost- Cloudjumper always knew how to get back to the nest, no matter how far they flew It didn't even matter where they were flying so much as the fact that they were flying. The world was open to them, and they reveled in it.

"This is ….incredible." Astrid said, breaking the long silence "I never thought Vikings could fly on dragons."

"Not all people have it in them." Valka replied, suddenly grim. "Some people will never see dragons as anything more than monsters."

"But… what if we went back to them. We could go to Berk. If we can just show them that dragons aren't bad then we ca-"

"No" Valka said again, and the finality in her voice stopped Astrid cold. " Believe me Astrid, I've tried, but the people of Berk are not able to change. There is too much history. Too much blood. Their war is something that cannot be stopped."

"But I changed." Astrid insisted stubbornly, a hint of anger creeping into her voice. "You just want us to sit back and let them kill each other? What, did you try and then just give up? Don't you have any family back on your island? What if they get killed, huh? What if they die while we sit back and did nothing!"

Those words hurt. The pain those words created prevented Valka from speaking for a long, long time. For she did indeed have family back on Berk, and had wondered many times over the years how they fared. Was Stoick alive? Had he taken a new wife. What of her son, her litte Hiccup? Was he dreaming of the day when he could take up arms in his fathers place? Was he learning to hate dragons, just as his father had, and his father before him.

"Astrid… I did have a family. I used to live on Berk, and I don't even know if that I had family still lives. Believe me, I want peace as much as anyone in the world, but too many Vikings believe that peace can only be found when their enemies lie dead. I tried, so much, to find another answer. And yet I could no more stop the war than I could stop the sun from rising and setting."

Silence once more over the pair, their joy of flight stolen by the weight of their conversation

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><p>That evening, Valka and Astrid were back at the dragon nest, sitting back against the snoozing form of Cloudjumper. They had built a small fire to ward of the darkness of the encroaching twilight and cook themselves up some dinner. They just finished eating said dinner (once again, fish) and were now simply sitting, each of them deep in thought.<p>

"Valka?" Astrid asked.

"Yes?"

"Not all dragons are good like Cloudjumper, right? I mean, plenty of dragons attack Berk all of the time. They've killed tons of people. My own uncle was killed by a dragon." Pain and anger mixed in Astrid's voice as she mentioned her uncle

Valka turned her head to the girl "There are good and bad Vikings, right?"

"Yes"

"So there are bad dragons, just like there are good dragons. But most dragons you will find are indeed good. Like Vikings, there are more good than bad."

"But the dragons attack Berk." Astrid said somewhat heatedly " Those dragons must be bad."

"Or they attack for some other reason, something we cannot see from where we are." Valka replied

"But it doesn't matter what reason they have. The people on Berk didn't do anything to deserve it, right? So they must be the good guys. Which means the dragons are bad."

"It's not that simple." Valka said "The world isn't just black and white."

"Black and white?" Astird was confused

"The world is not divided neatly into right and wrong." Valka said. Valka got up and sat down a across from the fire so that she could more directly face the girl.

"First of all, what do you think is the difference between right and wrong?" Valka asked, holding each hand up to emphasize her point.

"When you do the right thing, it helps people, and doing the wrong thing hurts people." Astrid said instantly. She seemed very confident in her answer.

"Partially." Valka replied "But there is more to it than that. Sometimes things we do seem wrong, but we must do them, because for whatever reason, they are necessary. For example, if a dragon attacks a Viking, and the Viking kills the dragon in self-defense, is that on considered wrong, since it is hurting someone else?"

"That's different. Dragons aren't people"

"Ahh, but they aren't mindless beasts. Dragons share more similarities with Vikings than they do with, say, sheep, Yak or chickens. They have something that many think only humans have."

"What's that?" Astrid asked curiously.

"A conscience" Valka said simply "They can tell the difference between right and wrong, and that knowledge can direct their actions, just as it does with humans."

"But even if that is true." Astrid replied. "In the example you talked about earlier, the dragon is still the villain, not the Viking."

"But didn't you just say that hurting others is wrong?"

A pause

"So" Astrid said, "you think that the Viking stand there and let himself be killed?"

The girl was beginning to grow frustrated by this puzzling and cryptic conversation.

"No, but if it is wrong to hurt other, like you said, then if the Viking wished to do what was right, then he wouldn't fight back." Valka explained

"But that's stupid." Astrid retorted," If something attacks, you fight back. You can't just let yourself be killed!"

"And so you admit your view of right and wrong is incorrect."

Astrid opened her mouth, then closed it again. Valka laughed.

"I'm not saying you are stupid, Astrid. I'm just trying to show you that right and wrong are not so easily defined in this world. That is why we have a conscience. But in order for that conscience to be effective, we have to develop it."

"Develop it?"

"Make it learn." Valka explained. "There aren't many who intentionally do the wrong thing, but inexperience and ignorance sometimes lead people down the wrong path. So through those failures, and the guidance of those around us, we are able to learn more about what is right and what is wrong."

Astrid's anger seemed to have dissipated a little, giving way to curiosity and thoughtfulness. For a long time Valka waited, but no response come from the girl, who stared into the crackling fire, which was even now burning down to glowing embers.

"You said that most people don't choose to do bad." Astrid said, her voice low, "But what about those who do?"

Valka sighed.

"I have seen men who kill for sport, men who torture for the fun of it, and men who steal from those who have little out of reckless greed. Always, there will be men like these. Men who have no conscience, men who have no concept of mercy. And that, Astrid, is why I became who I am."

"That is what I have done out here for nearly a decade." Valka continued " I have fought against these men. When I was taken away from my home, and was freed of the conforming ways of my people, I realized that I had been given an opportunity. Free to roam as I choose, I scour the world, fighting injustice in the places I can make a difference. That is what it means to be a dragon rider for me."

"That, Astrid, is who I am."

In the dying light of the fire, Valka saw something in Astrid's eyes. As the dragon rider poured out her soul to this young girl, those blue eyes lit with an inner fire. A fire that spoke of determination, dedication, and a desire to change the world for the better. Not long after Valka had finished speaking, Astrid replied. Her voice was low and steady, sure and confident. More than anything, though the girl's voice was filled with passion.

A passion to do the right thing.

"That is who I want to be."

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><p><strong>Well, managed to write this chapter a little quicker than the last one, so I'm happy for that improvement. If any of you are wondering whats up with the acts, I'm looking to have three acts in total (Maybe a fourth) and I'm aiming for each act to have 8-10 chapters each. <strong>

**Next chapter, Astrid's going to begin learning everything she needs to be a dragon rider.**

**As always, thanks for reading, and have a good one.**


	4. Act 1: Training and Trapping

**Hello again everyone!**

**Don't have much to say about this chapter, other than there will be a little bit of a time jump in it as well as a set up for some action in the next one. Thanks for all of the reviewers and followers to the story. It really makes a difference to me. And speaking of which, in response to:**

**Travellerofthepath: Valka doesn't know about the Red Death at this point, though she does suspect that something is up with the dragons that attack Berk. More about this will come in later chapters.**

**Theanvil7558: Ya, I kind of think of Valka as similar to Batman, as well as Hiccup, though both in different ways.**

**dragonridr55: Yup. Surprise!**

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><p>At first, Valka hadn't known where to begin with the girl's training, for there was so much she wanted to teach. There was so much more to Valka's life than simply knowing how to train a dragon. Astrid needed to learn survival skill. She needed to learn how to combat anything, or anyone, she might come across in the cruel reaches of the Archipelago.<p>

And so a training routine was developed. In the mornings, Valka took Astrid deeper into the dragon nest, familiarizing the girl with the dozens of different species, their likes, their habits, their traits, and most of all, how to approach them without provoking them.

For Valka, this was the most pleasant part of the training she gave Astrid. None of the dragons really cared too much about having another human living in the sanctuary, and so the two humans where not bothered as Valka showed Astrid the various species across the nest. Raincutters, zipplebacks, gronckles, snagglefangs, hobblegrunts, all of these and more Valka showed to Astrid, explaining each and every dragon in great detail before moving onto the next. Astrid, as eager a student as could be, drank it all in.

At noon, the pair switched over to physical training, exercises such as running, climbing, or jumping. This part of the training was often the most brutal and taxing, but just as necessary, Valka knew, as any of the other aspects of apprenticeship. To her credit, Astrid never once complained as those grueling hours of hardship rolled on and on, for which Valka was grateful. The dragon rider knew just how brutal the wide world could be, and this physical training increased Astrid's stamina, heightened her strength, and gave her a better understanding of her own limits. Those things were vital if Astrid was going to be able to survive in the brutal world they lived in.

In the late afternoon, Valka took Astrid flying. Round and round the sanctuary they flew, exploring the surrounding islands and icebergs. Valka made sure to tell Astrid something about each island they flew over, if for no better reason than that it would make it easier for the girl to remember each one. And remember she did, for the dragon rider made sure she knew which islands she could find various herbs and unusual wildlife. "It was always good to know where to find, say, a handful of dragon-nip" Valka had said on day.

And finally, in the early evening and early twilight of each day, they sparred with makeshift weapons.

Of all the activities they did throughout the day, the evening bouts were where Astrid most excelled. Valka herself was still the girl's better in hand-to-hand combat, but only just. Valka was aware, painfully so, that she wasn't much of a fighter, and she doubted there would be much she could teach Astrid in the coming years. Even among the sturdy, steadfast Vikings of the North, Astrid was a natural fighter. Before long, there would be nothing left that Valka could teach her.

After the each long day, both Astrid and Valka collapsed into exhausted, dreamless sleep. In truth, Valka found those long days better than any she had had in a long, long time. For the first in a long while, she had another human whom she could actually have real conversations with. For years she had only the dragons to talk to, dragons who couldn't respond with words, dragons who simply couldn't understand what it was to be an outcast human.

And now she had a companion who knew exactly what it was like. True, Astrid wasn't the most talkative of people, and true, she was as stubborn as any Viking could be, but Valka enjoyed her company.

While Valka was beginning to see Astrid as a daughter, the two didn't always get along.

"I know I'm ready!" Astrid said for what seemed like that hundredth time that day.

The two of them had just finished their evening sparring bout, and were in the middle of putting their makeshift practice weapons away. Those weapons were little more than sturdy branches that were straight enough to use as staves, but until Valka got around to finding (or making) Astrid a real weapon, those branches were all they had.

Valka's thoughts, however, were more directed to the more immediate conversation that Astid had brought up earlier in the day, and one that Valka responded in the same way.

"Astrid, I told you before. You only just began training her a month ago, and you aren't ready to have a dragon as your own!" Valka exclaimed. Truly she had been impressed by Astrid's progress, but she didn't think the girl was ready to create a bond with a dragon like the one she shared with Cloudjumper. Apparently, Astrid, growing more and more confident by the day, disagreed.

"Why not?" The stubborn girl retorted. "I know everything there is to know about any dragon living here. And I can't just ride with you and Cloudjumper forever, so why can't I have a dragon of my own."

Valka sighed.

"First of all, it's not something you are able to force. Not only do you pick the dragon, but the dragon has to pick you. It's not something that you can really force to happen. It takes time. Secondly, there is a big difference between a dragon letting you touch it's nose and letting you get on it's back to ride it."

"But Cloudjumper let me ride him."

"Cloudjumper is used to having a human on his back." Valka explained. "Most dragons aren't used to that."

Astrid opened her mouth to speak again, but Valka cut her off.

"Astird, it's final. You aren't ready until I say you are!"

Astrid gave Valka a glare before walking off to who knows where. Cloudjumper walked up to Valka's side from where he had been watching the two for a while now. The Stormcutter glanced from Valka to the receeding form of Astrid moving deeper into the ice cave. He made a little growling-purr in his throat, an indication of curiosity.

Valka put her hand under rubbed her hand across the back of Cloudjumper's head.

"Don't worry boy" She said "She'll snap out of it. She's just angry…. and stubborn…. and frustrated. She'll snap out of it."

Cloudjumper just huffed, replaying the conversation between his rider and her adopted daughter in his head.

Humans were weird.

* * *

><p>Astrid was sitting on one of the higher cliffs of the sanctuary. It was actually just outside of the ice cave, one of the few places one could get in and out of the cave, though it was surely difficult to do without a dragon to fly on. Indeed, getting anywhere in the sanctuary was a chore without a dragon to fly on.<p>

Truly, Astrid wasn't as angry at Valka as much as she was angry at the circumstances. She understood that there was more to bonding with a dragon than just touching its snout or feeding it another fish. Seeing how Cloudjumper and Valka interacted on a daily basis, she understood that there was something much deeper between them that. There was true friendship, companionship that came from understanding one another.

Astrid wanted that.

More than anything, she wanted a friend like that. No, at that time, she felt like she needed a friend like that. Right now, Astrid felt like she was at a strange point in her new life. A point where her thoughts and training were telling her one thing, but her instincts were still more in tune with her former life back on Berk.

Yes, it was a confusing time, and Astrid needed someone who could see things more on her own level. There was Valka, but she was an adult, and while Astrid was beginning to see her more and more as a motherly figure, she was still a little bit intimidated by the dragon rider.

Not for the first time, Astrid thought about her Berk. She wondered about her family, about her friends, and whether or no they were thinking of her? They probably think that I am dead, Astrid thought, and as it came to her mind, that thought brought tears into her eyes.

But those tears were brushed away quickly. Perhaps fate had forced this upon her, but crying about it wouldn't help anyone. Astrid thought about something that her dad once said when he got back from run with a particularly vicious group of thunderdrums while on a fishing trip. He took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and said "we can't control everything that happens to use. We can only decide how we deal with it. And that is what can make us good people or bad people."

Slowly, Astrid said those words under her breath, over and over. As the darkness deepened and turned from evening to night, Astrid still sat, eyes closed, muttering the words her father had said like a mantra. The cold wind became frigid, biting at her skin, but so deep in thought was she that she didn't feel it.

After almost an hour, Astrid finally stopped, much more composed and calm than she was. She had mulled over the words of her last conversation with Valka, and she was able to admit, at least to herself, that she had been wrong. She knew Valka was probably right, in that she wasn't ready, and that she was being childish.

A creak of strained wood pulled Astrid from her thoughts.

Wood? Astrid thought, her eyes darting back and forth, then fixing on a dark shape emerging from the dark gloom. Out in the dark water, a darker shape loomed. Tall and narrow, it glided in almost complete across the surface of the sea, save for the groaning and creaking of wooden beams strained and pulled against each other.

A ship.

Astrid felt herself grow cold. Valka never spoke of any kind of contact with other humans, and so anyone who showed up was likely not there by invitation. That and the fact that they were showing up at night instantly put Astrid on edge. She wasn't close enough to make out how many men might be on the boat, but she could see the rough outline of several deck-mounted ballista, as well as several large cages. Though actually seen them, Astrid guess they were dragon trappers.

And the very thought of those men being there enraged the girl.

Valka had told Astrid plenty of things about trappers, and none of it was complimentary. Like slavers, really, except instead of selling humans, they sold dragons. And in Valka's view, that was just as bad. And now they were here, and the very sight of them filled Astrid with rage.

The smarter thing would have been to warn her mentor, but Astrid didn't. No, Astrid, furious at these men for even existing, and wanting to protect all those in the sanctuary, took the task upon herself.

Silently and swiftly, Astrid moved down the cliff face, closing in on the trappers.

She had no plan whatsoever.

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><p><strong>Ya, I don't think this was my best chapter ever, but hey, I'm excited for the next one. Hope you guys are too.<strong>

**Thanks for reading, and as always, have a nice day!**


	5. Act 1: Trapped

**Hello, I'm finally back again.**

**I was meaning to get this chapter up earlier than this, but for two things. First, I just had a long weekend, during which my brain shut off completely. And secondly, my computer randomly reset when I was in the middle of writing. Of course, I hadn't saved for a while, so that I had to redo.**

**But enough about that. Next chapters up, and so I hope you guys all like it!**

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><p>Astrid was grateful for the hours of physical training she had done over the past mouth. Before, she would have hardly conceived climbing down the slick, ice covered cliff-face. As it was, she not only got to the bottom in a matter of minutes, but she did so without being seen by the trappers. Now from her view behind on of the many rocks that littered the beach, she was able to get a good long look at the encroaching group.<p>

There were only about a dozen of them, and they were a real dirty group. They were dressed in dark brown furs, for the most part, that looked like they had definitely seen better days. Their skin was leathery and tanned from the hours spent under the sun, even if one could hardly feel the sun this far north.

_Unless_, Astrid thought,_ they weren't from up north_.

"You sure this is th' place?" Asked one man, the one whom Astrid thought was the leader of the group, if only because of the supreme confidence and authority in his voice.

"Yes, indeed, this is it." The small, weasel-like man beside the leader said. "Told you I could bring you to it, I did. The home of Dragon Rider, it is."

"We'll see. We'll see." The leader replied, pulling the white furs that he wore tighter about his shoulders.

"Of course." The weaselly man replied. "There it small matter of my payment."

Astrid nearly jumped as the leader suddenly moved, wheeled around on the smaller man, grabbing him up by the front of his tunic.

"You get paid when were done. And if you want that payment, your gonna' help us get some dragons. Now get going, and be quiet."

The leader jerked the smaller man towards the direction of the nest, where the other crew men were already at the base of the cliff, looking for a way up. But everywhere they looked the cliff seemed to be sheer.

Astrid shifted to get a better view, trying to make as little sound as possible. Though she was hoping that they wouldn't find a way in, logic told her that they would eventually make it. Even as the thought passed through her head, the trappers began pulling out hooks and rope from bags they had hauled off of the ship, and began moving all around the island, looking for somewhere to begin climbing.

But they made a critical mistake.

They left their boat unguarded.

Across the snowy beach, Astrid sneaked, moving smoothly and silently. The ship loomed closer and closer, a dark splotch against the silvery white of the snow shining in the night. And before long, Astrid was right up to the side of it.

It was then that Astrid actually stopped herself, hidden in the shadow of the trappers ship. After all, what was she trying to accomplish here, she asked herself. The logical thing to do from the start would have been to go get Valka. Surely she would know how to deal with these with these men. So what was Astrid doing out here, preparing to sneak onto a dragon trapper's boat, while those same trappers descended on her new home.

What was she trying to do?

She didn't really know, but came to realize that that fact was not going to deter her. Her decision came not from conscious thought, but from instinct, a feeling in her gut that there was something she needed to do.

And so, hand over hand, she climbed on of the hanging ropes into the boat.

* * *

><p>"What is it, Cloudjumper?" Valka asked, looking over to her growling dragon. Something had obviously riled the Stormcutter, some sound or sent that had put him on edge. He was swinging his head from side to side, looking over the entire sanctuary from the vantage point they had outside the cave he slept in.<p>

Valka, too was worried, scanning the nest for some sign of unusual movement. For several minutes, they stood there side by side, listening, looking, searching.

Valka saw nothing, but she wasn't at ease. She knew that Cloudjumper's senses were far superior to hers, and so if her dragon suspected something was out there, then she believed him.

Pausing only long enough to don her armor and grab her staff, she and Cloudjumper took off.

* * *

><p>Only rarely had Astrid been on board a ship before, and never one quite like this one. The boats that Berkians used were bulky and tough, made to withstand the hardships of battle and heavy impact. They were also heavily decorated, covered in shields painted in various colors and sails depicting Vikings and dragon locked in battle. But this ship was not like those she had seen on Berk. This ship was different.<p>

The overall design of the ship was narrow and slender, made of darker wood than any Astrid had ever seen. It had multiple triangular sails, rather than a single square sail that most ships had. Mounted on the railings were large crossbow like contraptions, meant not for throwing bolts and arrows, but rather nets.

Trappers got more gold for uninjured dragons than injured ones.

Astrid crept across the creaking boards of the deck, watching carefully for any signs of movement on the boat.

She nearly jumped when she heard a low growling sound coming from a trap door at the center of the boat.

Seconds ticked by, and Astrid made not a move.

The growling repeated itself again, the growl of a dragon.

Astrid moved over to that trap door, hand closing over the handle. Then she pulled.

The inside was lit by a small lamp, Astrid noted, as she peered into the hull of the ship. It was rather spacious, or at least would have been if not for the multitude of cages that were lined against the walls of the hull, each of them stained with rust and blood.

As Astrid climbed down into the hull, she realized one of the cages was occupied. In one far corner, inside one cage next to a stack of crates, was a dragon. A deadly nadder, and one that had not been treated kindly.

This nadder was a rich, sky blue, though its scales seemed to have lost some of their luster as a result of its captivity. They brighter yellow scales had darkened to a ugly dull brown, hardly reflecting the light of the small candle that burned in the hold. But the eyes, those yellow eyes were the worst. Without hope, those eyes were. Without true life.

Astrid moved right up to the nadders cage, and though it continued to growl at her, it couldn't hurt her if it wanted to. There wasn't any part of the dragon that could move more than a few inches, thanks to the seemingly dozens of chains that snaked around every part of its body, holding it fast.

"Easy, easy."Astrid said. The dragon continued to growl at her.

"I promise I won't hurt you" Astrid said in a soothing voice. Still the nadder was shrinking away from her as much as it could, and it let out a low, threatening hiss.

Obviously, this dragon hadn't had a good time with humans, Astrid thought. Still, she was trying to be as soothing and friendly as possible.

"I promise that I won't hurt you."

The nadder continued to growl, it's gaze fixed on Astrid.

No, wait. Astrid realized. The dragon wasn't looking at her. It was looking past her. At something _behind_ her.

That was the last thought that went through Astrid's head before a searing pain erupted in the back of head, and then everything went dark.

* * *

><p>"… can't be the Dragon Rider. You think a girl like this could cause so much trouble for Drago?"<p>

"She is a sneaky one sir. I barely noticed her in time to stop her from freeing that nadder on our ship. Wouldn't be surprised if was able to cause all sorts of mischief."

The voices around Astrid brought her back to conscience. Even as she woke up, she tried not to make herself move, taking in as much of her surroundings as she could.

She was lying face down in the snow, hands tied tightly behind her back. She recognized one of the voices as the leader of the trappers, and judging by where it was coming from, he was standing over her. Astrid also heard the footsteps of several others of the group around her.

"Well, what do we do with her." A voice asked.

Astrid subtly shifted tested the bonds that held her hands behind her, but they were almost excruciatingly tight. There was no way she was getting out of them on her own, especially since her hands were starting to go numb from the cold.

"Let's just kill her"

Astrid tensed.

"No" The leader said, "I think she might be useful to us."

"Useful. She's just a girl. What use is she?"

"She's a girl who just happens to be on an island haunted by a dragon rider. Perhaps she can tell us more about the one where looking for."

Astrid didn't like the sound of that.

"Bring her along" the leader commanded, "and we'll see what she can tell us once she wakes up."

Astrid felt herself being lifted up, and tried to keep herself as limp as possible. She had to force herself not to gag at the terrible smell of her captors. Not that Vikings were particularly clean folk, but these ones smelled like they hadn't bathed once in the past decade or so.

As the troop plodded along, Astrid was silently chastising herself. _So much for following your gut Astrid_, she thought. _Some great dragon rider you are_.

Astrid thoughts turned back to the dragon she had found in the trappers ship. Alone, frightened, trapped. Astrid now had an eerily similar point of view. Except, she told herself, she wasn't frightened. True Vikings were never afraid.

She told herself that, but in truth, she was afraid.

"DRAGON RIDER!" Astrid heard the leader yelled. "COME OUT FROM YOUR HIDING PLACE COWARD. YOU AND I HAVE SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS."

The silence stretched on for a long, long time. Astrid cracked one of her eyes open to take a peek at what was happening. But being carried over the shoulder of a man while having your head upside-down made seeing anything extremely difficult. She did discern that they were gathered at the base of the cliff, for each of the trappers were craning their neck upwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious dragon rider.

They didn't have to wait long.

"Release the girl. Only after that shall we talk of settling scores."

It was Valka.

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><p><strong>Bit of a cliffhanger for you guys. Hope you enjoyed it, and sorry again for it being later than usual.<strong>


	6. Act 1: Cold fire

**Got this one up earlier to make up for the late one I just did. Aren't you guys lucky!**

**Anyways, not much to say about this chapter except for enjoy!**

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><p>"…..You."<p>

There was so much hatred and anger in his voice that Valka was surprised it could be contained in a single word.

They were squared off. The trapper leader stood tall and proud, brandishing his sword in on hand, a shield in the other. The rest of his group waited behind him, anxiously waiting for the singnal to attack Valka.

But in truth, none of those men wanted to be the first to go in, for Valka was surely an intimidating sight to behold. Arrayed in her fully battle armor, with her curled dragon staff gripped tightly in hands, she looked more than ready for battle. The fact that she was also standing tall on Cloudjumper's back certainly helped. She could feel ther dragon's muscles tense beneath her feet, poised to strike.

For a long moment, nothing moved or made a sound.

Then. "I've heard many things about you, Dragon Rider." Said he trapper leader. "People say that you can talk to dragons. Some say that you're a ghost, striking out at passing ships for no reason they can discern. And there are those who say that you aren't entirely human, and that you can transform into a dragon and back whenever you want."

"I don't believe in these tales myself." The man went one, his voice steady, confident, and arrogant." What I know for sure, though, is that you cost me more than a fortune when you sunk one of my ships and took all of my dragons. And as an added bonus, I think I'll be wiping the infamous Dragon Rider off the map."

"Sorry to disappoint you" Valka snapped," But I have not intention of dying today. Take another step forward, and I'm sending you to Helheim."

The threat only seemed to anger the trapper. "Don't you know who I am! Don't you know who it is you are speaking to!"

"I try not to remember the names of trappers." Valka replied " They aren't worth it."

"My name is ERET!" The trapper spat. "Eret the fifth. Family of the greatest dragon trappers in the world. And that will be the last na-"

"Leave"

That single word, said with such coldness, stopped Eret's running mouth.

"Men like you disgust me. You take what you will without thought of the consequences to others. You would torture, murder, and lie if it would line your pockest with gold. So leave, Eret the fifth. Free every dragon you have ever captured and hurt. Go and live as a farmer on some distant island, for all I care. Know that if you continue this way of life, I will come for you. And I will end you."

The trappers looked around fearfully, most of them looking for an escape route should the unpredictable dragon rider attack. Eret, though, wouldn't be deterred.

"You think we're scared of you? Ha! Olin, bring the girl."

Valka tensed. She had seen this coming, and her mind was racing, trying to think of a way to get Astrid out of Eret's clutches without the girl getting hurt. She watched helplessly as Eret took the girl in his arms, on hand holding her up by the back of her tunic, the other resting his razor-sharp sword against her throat.

"Stand down, Dragon Rider, or she dies."

Valka was thinking furiously. She tried improvising.

"A girl? What is she to me?"

But Eret must have heard the quaver in her previously steady voice. He had seen right through her bluff.

"I'm getting impatient. Lay down your weapons, woman, and we'll let her go."

"LIAR!" Valka screamed, dropping her cool façade. "Have you no humanity, trapper?! No shame?! You would murder a child who has done no wrong! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU!

"Monster you say." Eret replied, grinning smugly. "That's rich, coming from a woman who sides with animals against her own people. What kind of monster am I? The one who wins. Today, Dragon Rider, you have finally lost."

But Valka hardly heard Eret's last reply, for there was a flicker of movement that she noted, one that none of the trappers, focused so intently on her, had noticed.

Astrid had opened one eye, winked at her, and then closed it again.

Valka took a deep breath, steadying herself. In a few moments, she would have to give Cloudjumper the signal to attack, and then she would have to be fast. If she wasn't quick enough, Astrid would die. It was that simple.

Valka whispered a prayer to Odin under her breath, brought her staff high over her head.

"No Eret. Today, you will be the one who looses."

Before he could reply, she banged her staff against the nearby cliff face, making a sound like the crack of a whip.

That was the signal.

The entire beach erupted into motion. Several Snafflefangs leapt from their concealed perches on the edge of the nest, swooping down towards the trappers. An Iciclaw, moving impossibly fast, shot out from under a nearby snow pile. The ocean churned as a pair of Scauldrons erupted from the tide, waddling onto the beach and hissing all the while. But none of them, not even the wickedly fast Iciclaw, got to the trappers before Cloudjumper. Like an arrow fired from a draw bow, the Stromcutter rocketed forward, letting out a tremendous bellow.

Astrid understood the signal as well, as Valka had hoped.

The girl snapped her head back, connecting the back of her head with Eret's nose, which broke with a audible crunching sound. At the same time, she brought her booted foot down on Eret's own foot, and as tough as he was, the trapper couldn't help letting out yelp of surprise and pain. His grip loosened enough for her to wiggle out, and she threw herself flat to the ground to avoid Cloudjumper's flying charge.

The Stormcutter hit Eret with the force of an avalanche.

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><p>The trappers were a hardy bunch, but they were overmatched by no small margin. The dragons, enraged that the trappers had come to the sanctuary and kidnapped one of their own(for many of the dragons, especially Cloudjumper, had come to see Astrid as one of their own).<p>

In the ensuring chaos, the dragons quickly had trappers (those who weren't unconscious or dead) backing towards the lone ship. Of all of them, only Eret looked like he hadn't had enough. He had discarded his shield in favor of a second sword, and both of those weapons were coated in blood, though her himself was also painted with gore. Though he had been nearly flattened by Cloudjumper's initial charge, he was still alive and kicking. He swiped at any of the dragons that got too close to him and his retreating crew.

"Come on then!" He shouted at the surrounding reptiles. "Show me what you got!"

Big mistake.

Cloudjumper leapt forward, turning a complete circle in the air to gather momentum, Around came Cloudjumpers tail, swinging like a massive flail to smash into Eret.

Up the trapper flew. Launched by the Stormcutter's mighty tail swipe, he flew high into the air, going completely over his ship before splashing into the icy cold waters far away from the Sanctuary.

The remaining men were in full retreat, scrambling to shove the boat out into the water, as far away from the infernal island as they could. They unfurled the sails, pulled on the oars, and shoved off the shore, praying to every god they knew that the dragons wouldn't follow them.

Normally, Valka would let men, even trappers, get away. Even though she trusted dragons fare more that she trusted humans, she hated to have to kill. Yet these men knew where the sanctuary was. If they got away, they would come back with more. The greatset defense that the sanctuary had was the fact that no one knew how to get to it, but if these men where to get back to their homes, that secret would be a secret no longer.

Valka knew what she had to do.

She whirled her staff over her head, gathering the Snagglefangs around Cloudjumper, hovering above the ship. Round and round the rattling staff spun, gathering the dragons into formation, while the terrified trappers far below could only watch.

Then, so very suddenly, Valka's staff stopped it's spin, pointing down to the ship. There was a woosh in the air as each of the dragons took in a huge breath.

"STOP!" A voice, Astrid's voice, yelled.

Too late.

From the mouths of the half a dozen dragons, fire erupted, blasting the ship. Wood crackled and exploded from the heat and pressure, while iron melted to pools of glowing slag. The whole thing groaned like a wounded animal, then tilted dangerously to the side.

Valka forced herself to watch the burning ship, forced herself to realize that it was her doing. She told herself that these men had brought it upon themselves, that they deserved their fate. It only helped sooth the feeling of guilt a little.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a splash, like someone diving into the water.

Valka's gaze, and on the edges of her vision caught a flash of golden hair in the firelight of the blazing ship.

Astrid was swimming straight for it.

* * *

><p>By the time she reached the burning remains of the trappers' ship, Astrid could hardly feel her limbs. The water was wickedly cold, so much that Astrid could swear her blood was turning to ice.<p>

When she had seen the ship catch on fire she hadn't even hesitated. Having just sawed through the ropes around her wrist on the sharp edge of a boulder, she pelted towards the floundering boat, determined to get to it before it was lost beneath the black waters.

Determined to help that poor, trapped dragon inside.

She was almost there, and her arms and legs were tingling, unfeeling to the point where they weren't registering exhaustion properly. Still, though she felt like she was dragging chains behind her, Astrid kept going.

Then, with the sound of groaning wood and twisting metal, the ship fell apart. Unable to hold itself together under the strain, it split apart, all of its contents and cargo spilling out into the sea. Astrid gaped in horror as she saw the very dragon she had come to save tumble into the dark waters, still locked in its cage. It let out a strangled roar, one that was quickly lost beneath the waves as the metal cage sunk like a rock.

Astrid pushed towards that cage with all of her might, and just barely managed to grab onto one of the bars before it would have sunk out of reach. She held on tightly as the cage dragged her down deeper and deeper, but she wouldn't let go.

She tried, tried so hard to yank open the cage. The logical part of her brain told her to let go and swim back to the surface, for there was no way she would be able to break the lock holing the iron contraption closed. But she looked into the eyes of the trapped dragon, and she saw the fear. She saw the fear, the horror, the anger, and most of all, the confusion.

In that moment, Astrid knew she wouldn't, she couldn't, let go. This nadder needed her, and no matter the odds, no matter how futile it was to keep trying. If nothing else, Astrid thought, the dragon wouldn't die alone.

They sank deeper and deeper into the cold black waters, and Astrid felt like her lungs would simply explode from the need for air. The water pressure was making her head ache, and she could barely see the cage right in from of her. Still she tugged at the cage door, held back by the stubborn lock. But her struggles were not getting stronger, but weaker, as she felt exhaustion and numbness were finally winning the battle against her. No matter how much she pulled, and no matter how much the dragon inside pushed, the cage door wouldn't open.

And so she was spent. She hung on limply as the cage descended through the dark waters, finally hitting the ocean floor with a soft thump. Bereft of strength, her lungs searing, her eyes burning from the salty water, Astrid knew it was the end. She couldn't even muster up enough feeling in her hands to pry her numb fingers from the cage bars.

In her last moment, all she could do was look into the nadder's bright yellow eyes, eyes so full of confusion. Confusion that a human would die trying to save it.

_I'm sorry_, Astrid mouthed, just before blackness overcame her.

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><p><strong>ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!<strong>

**And this time you're going to have to wait a bit longer before you find out what happens to Astrid. Cause next chapter, were going to have a look at what is happening on Berk.**

**Until then, folks, as always, have a good one!**

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><p><strong>Iciclaw dragon: Just like a Speed Stinger, but pure white, has wings, and no stinger on it's tail. Spits ice shards as it's breath weapon.<strong>


	7. Act 1: Simmering

**As promised, were back on Berk for this chapter. I might do one more chapter back on Berk before act 1 is over, but chapter 8 is definitely going to go back to Astrid and Valka.**

**Anyways, I felt kind of rushed in this chapter so I hope it turned out ok. Tell my what you guys think.**

**Responses to Reviews:**

**Travellerofadifferentpath: It was in fact Eret's dad who Valka just just battled, though in this story he is Eret the fifth, making the Eret from the movies Eret the Sixth. And you question about why Astrid never talks about people from Berk is for Valka's sake. Valka made it clear that she doesn't want anything to do with other humans, and so the topic probably doesn't come up between them. Astrid will certainly tell her dragon about her past life.**

**Silver Blue Eyed Wolf: In the next chapter, she will. I can promise you that Astrid is not going to die. Not yet, anyway...**

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><p>A boy sat at the edge of the docks that covered the southern edge of Berk, staring out into the seemingly endless expanse of water. It was nearing evening, and the cloudy sky was turning pink with the descending sun, a sight that was able to take the breath away from people even if they had seen it a thousand times before.<p>

But the boy paid no attention to the dazzling sunset, or the lapping of the waves as they pushed against the wood of the docks. He didn't hear the bustle of the other Vikings, nor the creaking of ships as they shifted and moved with the tide. Indeed, the boy was so deep in thought he didn't notice the man walking up behind him until that man spoke.

"Thinking of her again, Eric?"

For the boy Eric, it seemed like a rhetorical question. There wasn't a day that had gone by when he hadn't thought about his little sister, gone for only a month.

For Eric Hofferson, it seemed like a thousand years ago since he had seen his little sister.

The man behind Eric sighed.

"Son, we're Vikings. And we're at war. Astrid wasn't the first person lost, and she won't be the last. You have to let her go."

But Eric wasn't listening. He had heard it all before. Everyone was trying to tell him they knew how he felt, and that he had to move on. But to Eric's thinking, they didn't understand.

Of all his family, Eric had felt closest to his little sister Astrid, despite the fact that that he had been nearly seven years her senior. Each of them had been able to bring out another side of the other, a side that most people didn't see. Eric could tell Astrid anything, and she wouldn't judge him for it. Because for her, he knew he was a role model, an ideal that she wanted to follow when she grew to be his age.

And they could make each other laugh. They could make each other smile. For anyone who knew what the Hoffersons were like, that was something that didn't happen often, or easily. Fighters, one and all. A family of warriors, with renown only below that of the chiefs own family. But to get a Hofferson to smile was like catching sight of a shooting star. It was a rare event.

With his little sister gone, Eric didn't smile at all anymore.

Standing behind him, Eric's father took his sons silence as a signal to change the subject.

"We just got back from our hunt. You should have come along. Everyone's wondering why the boy who got top of the class in dragon training won't come searching for the nest with us."

"Because we never find anything" Eric replied, his voice filled with rising frustration"We've looked for over three hundred years, and we have never found a damn thing. I very much doubt that things would change if I decided one day to come along."

"Well, this time we did" His dad answered in a superior voice.

"What did you find? Someone's missing limb?" Eric replied, thoroughly disinterested.

"A man. Half starved and clinging to a piece of driftwood like a drowned rat. Didn't think he was gonnna' make it, to tell you the truth. But he was a stubborn fellow, he was. Up and about within a few hours, mouth running faster than a landslide."

"Which island is he from?"

"Wouldn't say. 'Kept rambling on about how he lost his ship and crew to a dragon attack."

"Typical" Eric said, standing up and stretching. "Probably some runaway, banished from his island for Thor-knows-what."

"Nah, he claims he's and honest-to-gods dragon trapper."

That sparked interest in Eric for the first time in the conversation. He had only me a few dragon trappers before in his life. They sometimes came to Berk to sell captured dragons, which young Vikings would be pitted against for training. In a way, Eric had learned to admire the trappers. After all, few people had the nerve and courage to try and capture the beasts.

"Is he here?" Eric asked, suddenly showing more eagerness than he had in a long time.

His dad nodded.

"We just brought him into the Great Hall to see the chief. If you hurry, maybe you might even get to talk to him."

"And so there I was, surrounded by what seemed like a hundred of the monsters, with nothing but my sword in one hand, and my hunting knife in the other."

Eric walked in to see the trapper standing on one of the many tables that littered the great hall, surrounded by a group of children which whom he held the utmost attention, held captivated by a tale grandeur and heroism.

"I turned." Said the trapper, "And leapt out to meet them!"

The man jumped off of his perch on the table and mimed a mighty sword strike, nearly crushing one of the surrounding children with his descent.

"That'll be enough" said a deep voice from across the room. Eric, still watching from the doorway, turned to look at the figure imposing figure of the chief striding across the room.

"Well, well, well." Said the trapper, looking in the chiefs direction. "Stoick. A pleasure it is to finally meet you, good sir. Your reputation proceeds you."

"I can't say the same for you." Stoick replied, sizing the trapper up from head to toe.

"Of course not." The trapper said smoothly, trying to push out his chest and pull himself to his full height, which didn't look like much beside the giant that was Stoick the Vast.

"My name is Eret, Son of Eret. Or Eret the Fifth if you like."

"So then tell me, Eret Son of Eret." Stoick said "how was it that my men found youin the middle of the ocean yesterday. What happened?"

The children Eret had been entertaining were all looking at him anxiously, and several other Vikings had begun to gather around, listening intently for his answer. Despite himself, Eric moved in closer.

"Have any of you heard of the one they call….. _the dragon rider?_"

There was whispering among the gathering crowd,

Eric had indeed heard of the legendary dragon rider, though he had passed it of as a myth or an old wives tale. There were many different stories about what the rider actually was, each one more fantastical than the next.

"Oh yes, my crew and I found the island where the rider lurks. A great fortress of made of pure ice, it was, larger than even the mighty castles of Rome."

"Oh really?!" someone shouted from the growing crowd. "You expect us to to believe that you found a fortess made of ice? Your nothing bu-"

"Quiet!' Said Stoick, and instantly the room was dead silent. "Tell me more about this dragon rider, you claim to have seen."

Eret paused. A dramatic and suspenseful pause, if Eric were to judge. He found himself eagerly leaning forwards.

"I only got that chance to see the rider for a few minutes. She was covered in armor of red and blue, carryi-"

"She?" Stoick interrupted. "This dragon rider is a woman."

"Indeed. I never saw her face, but her voice was that of a woman, not a man. She carried only a staff, though one that she used to control and direct dragons at will."

Whispers of "impossible" and "is he insane" echoed throughout the hall.

"And then she attacked us!" Eret said, throwing his arms up dramatically. "From the sky and sea, she called her scaley minions. Dozens of them, there were. We fought until we could fight no more, and only then did we try to retreat, for there were too many for us to repel. We rushed back to our ship."

Eret paused again, letting the suspenseful moment hang heavily in the air.

"But the rider, oh she was a vicious one. When we got back to our ship, she showed us no mercy. She brought down fire on our ships from on high, too far away for us to fight back."

"I was, to my knowledge, the only one who survived."

"But who would do such a thing!"

The words exploded out of Eric before he could stop them, and he watched as every head in the hall turned towards him. He didn't care though; all he wanted to do was vent his rage.

"How could someone turn against their kind and side with those….those..MONSTERS!"

"Believe me, my boy" said Eret "I find it as appalling as you do. Believe me."

"Alright" Stoick butted in again. I think that we've heard enough for tonight, sir. I suggest we all get back to our beds and get some sleep."

The chief pointedly looked at Eric, who wasn't paying even the any attention to him at all.

Eric hardly saw a thing as he ventured out of the great hall, deep in thought.

_A dragon rider. A real dragon rider!_ The very idea of such a person left a foul taste in Eric's mouth. _How could some betray their own people and side with dragons! It was insanity. To actually betray your own was the most cowardly, disgusting-_

Crash!

Eric bumped into someone, almost causing himself to lose his balance and go tumbling down the front steps. Eric snarled.

"Watch where you're going, you!"

It was Hiccup, son of Stoick the Vast, and the clumsiest, most accident driven Viking on the island (and some could argue, in the whole Archipelago).

Hiccup looked up at Eric with huge green eyes, stuttering out an apology, but the older boy couldn't have cared less for what he had to say. Eric simply walked by, making sure to give him a little shove as he passed.

The matter of Hiccup was one of the few things that Eric and Astrid had ever disagreed upon. While Eric thought the boy was a good for nothing , accident prone, spineless screw-up, Astrid was able to find characteristics about him to admire, if only from afar.

Eric had honestly tried to find some redeeming characteristics in the boy, who, he had grudgingly realized, would probably be his chief one day if not for his untimely death. But Eric honestly couldn't find a single… _Vikinly _trait in Hiccup. He was just so… different

In Viking society, different was not an enviable trait. Except, it seemed, for Astrid.

Oh Gods, why did every thought have to lead him back to Astrid.

Eric hurries through the village towards his home, not wanting anyone to see the fresh tears welling up in his eyes. He missed her so much! No matter how much people told him to let go, he knew he would never forget. He couldn't ever forget his sister.

And he would never forget, or forgive, those who took her away from him.

"Eric, the Dragon Trapper."

The words sounded sweetly to the vengeance-obsessed boy.

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><p><strong>Before, anyone says anything, I know having two characters named Eric and Eret can be confusing, but hey, it is how it is.<strong>

**Not to much of Hiccup, I know, but there will be more of him. If not in act 1, then in the next act.**

**Anyways, have a good one!**


	8. Act 1: Stormfly

**Holy crap, plenty of reviews last chapter, and several questions. I'll answer all of these questions, though I will say some of them might contain spoilers. Therefore, if you are not interested in finding out what may happen in the story later on, please avoid the answers with the big_ SPOILER WARNING_ on them. If you really don't want to read spoilers, it's better to just skip straight to the story**

**.**

**Anyways, onto the questions and answers:**

**Guest: Eric is Astrid's older brother, who is thinking of becoming a dragon trapper after what happened to his sister.**

**Frank: _SPOILER WARNING_: Hiccup will indeed shoot down Toothless and train him, though with Astrid out of the picture, it is going to change how the events of the first movie play out. Namely, Astrid never stops Hiccup from running away.**

**Travellerofadifferentpath: _SPOILER WARNING_: Ya, Eric is definitely going to end up as a bad guy. **

**Tellemicus Sundance: The Eret of this story is indeed the father of the Eret from the movie, making him Eret, Father of Eret. **

**SPOILERS END!**

**Without further ado, lets get onto the story!**

**Enjoy**

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><p>It was dark, and it was cold.<p>

These were the only things that seemed to register in Astrid's mind. The blackness was darker than a clouded, starless night. And it was more solid than true shadow could ever be, surrounding her, smothering her, choking her.

And the cold. So very cold. Coldness that mocked the idea of warmth. Coldness that settled in Astrid bones, and made her blood felt like pure ice in her veins, cutting at her from the inside. So cold it denied all possibility of warmth, so cold it made Astrid experience both complete numbness and searing agony at the same time.

It was endless and eternal, stretching on for a seemingly endless amount of time. Poor Astrid could have sworn days, or even weeks had passed with no relief. Darkness and cold were the only things left in her world.

And then…. warmth? Such a tiny spec of warmth, it should have been unnoticeable to the girl. But to Astrid, so very cold and alone, that warmth was like a bonfire, and she eagerly embraced it. She felt it growing stronger, steadily spreading to encompass all parts of her. Soon the coldness was gone, with nothing left of it but a memory, one that was banished by the comfort and embrace of that warmth.

A single thought passed through Astrid's mind at that moment. In her dreamlike state, it hardly gained any purchase in her conscience, but it lingered longer than any of the other thoughts that flitted in and out of her head.

The single thought, persistent and annoying, was a question Astrid couldn't find the strength nor the courage to answer.

_Is this what it feels like to die._

The first thing she could make out was the sound.

The sound was persistent, buzzing, and in a way, reassuring. For while that sound waxed and waned, it never fully stopped, providing a soothing background to everything around her.

It was the sound of the dragon sanctuary, her home.

She was lying down on her own makeshift bed, bundled up neck to toe in warm furs and pelts. The smell of smoking wood was heavy in the air, and Astrid could see the remnants of a small fire in a makeshift pit they had dug in the middle of the cave for cooking.

There was no sign of Cloudjumper or Valka.

Astrid started to push herself out of the bed, but fell back almost immediately as a wave of exhaustion pushed her back down. Every part of her suddenly felt so heavy, as if there was simply no energy left in her body. Growling stubbornly, Astrid pushed tried to push herself up again, and almost managed to sit up before collapsing again, patting heavily. She closed her eyes, took several deep breath, and forced down her mounting anger. After all, though she hated to admit it, she was too weak to do anything until Valka came back.

She didn't have to wait very long.

Valka entered into the cave soon after, followed closely by Cloudjumper. When she saw that Astrid had woken up, she made a beeline straight for the reclined girl, and immediately crushed her in a great bear hug.

"Oh, thank the gods you're alright." Valka said, a hint of a sob in her voice. "I was so worried, wondering if you were ever going to wake…"

"Auntie…..Val…..I can't…breath!"

Valka immediately let go and Astrid fell back into the her reclined bed, gasping for breath.

The older dragon rider looked slightly mortified, though it couldn't wipe away her happiness at seeing her adopted daughter awake and talking once again.

"I'm sorry. How do you feel?"

It took Astrid several seconds to muster up the breath and strength to answer.

"I feel…" She didn't want so say 'weak', so she improvised. "…tired."

Valka nodded, a slight smile creasing her lips.

"Well, I daresay so. That was quite the stunt you pulled. Please don't scare me like that again. I'm surprised you managed to survive at all."

"Stunt?" Astrid wracked her brain. Why, afterall, was she in bed, week as a baby, listening to Valka telling her how she had escaped seemingly certain death. Now that she thought of it, she couldn't remember getting into her bed the night before, nor the entire day befo-

Then, it all came back to her. The ship. The trappers. The battle. The fire.

The trapped dragon.

"Auntie Valka! There was a nadder trapped on that ship! It was sinking to the bottom of the ocean! I tried to break it out of its cage bu-"

"Astrid, slow down there. The nadder is fine. For that matter, she was a lot better off than you were when she dragged you up to shore."

"B-but, it was caged." Astrid said, almost sobbing. "It…She couldn't have dragged me to the shore."

Valka smiled comfortingly.

"Well, somehow it must have gotten free, because by the time I had sent a scauldron to go down after you, there the nadder was. Pulling you up onto the shore. You must have freed it, didn't you?"

Astrid thought back. She remembered diving after the cage in which the poor nadder was trapped. She remembered tugging at the bars futilely, desparate to save the trapped dragon. And she remembered failing, growing weaker, her lungs crying out for air, her head begging for a release in the pressure.

Then there had only been blackness until she woke up inside the sanctuary.

"No." Astrid said "I didn't free that dragon. It must have freed itself"

"Well, I don't care how it escaped." Valka replied quickly. "The important thing is that both f you are alive and well."

But Astrid wouldn't lay the matter to rest that easily. How could the nadder have escaped? Valka hadn't been there, or she also would have doubted the trapped dragon could have gotten free, even with Astrid help. And yet, unless Valka was lying to her, that same dragon had not only got out of being drowned, but also saved the unconscious Astrid from sharing a similar fate.

It was a mystery. One Astrid was determined to solve.

"The nadder… Can I see it. Is it still here?"

"_She_" Valka stated, emphasizing the first word" is here in the sanctuary. I think she wants to see you. She's been waiting by the cave entrance like a guard dog almost constantly since I moved you in here."

Astrid was surprised. She almost thought the nadder would have gone flying back to its own home the moment it was free, wherever that home may have been.

"Can…Can I go see her?"

Valka chuckled.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I think you could get a bit of lunch in you before you go anywhere."

Silently, Astrid groaned. It seemed before she could mee the dragon that saved her life, she would have to get through a batch of whatever concoction Valka was cooking up today.

She would rather have another go at the trappers.

Though Astrid wasn't a big fan of Valak's cooking, she had to admit that she was feeling a lot better after the meal. If gave her enough strength so that, with Valka's help, she actually managed to rise to her own two feet and walk around the small cave a bit.

Valka had insisted that Astrid was pushing herself to much, but the girl didn't care. Apparently there was a dragon who had saved her life only a short walk away, and before the day was oout, Astrid wanted to give a face-to-face 'thank you'.

So foot by foot, leaning into Valka the whole way, Astrid managed to make her slow way out of the cave.

As always, the brilliant display of sunlight and color greeted her in a dizzying dance. Dragons of every color flitted and soared throughout the massive sanctuary, and the sunlight refracted as it poured through the ice structure, making rainbows of light that crisscrossed everywhere one looked.

Astrid's gaze however, was fixed on the dragon right outside the entrance to the cave she was emerging from. Slightly to her right, sitting like an anxious, overgrown bird, was the same nadder she had seen in the trappers ship.

It looked healthier than when Astrid had last see it, if only a little bit. The scales were no longer tinted with the sickly greenish color, but now shone in lusterous, sky blue. The nadder was practically quivering with energy now, where as before it was droopy and exhausted from days, or weeks, malnourishment. But most of all, the eyes where what caught Astrid's attention. Those eyes, once full of despair, sorrow, and anger, where now full of something else.

Those eyes locked with Astrid's eyes.

In that moment, something based between the girl and the dragon. An understanding, as if the two suddenly knew each others thoughts like their own. The moment was only a fraction of a second long, though Astrid could have sworn it was at least several minutes long. After all, how could communication such as this happen within so short a time.

The nadder suddenly came forward. Astrid felt Valka's grip around her shoulder tighten, though Astrid knew the nadder would be as gentle as it could.

How she knew? She just did.

And suddenly, it was right in front of her, sniffing her up and down, examining her with those bright eyes. Astrid held herself rigidly still, her gaze not wavering as the curious dragon inspected her.

Finally, after a few minutes, the nadder seemed to be satisfied. It took a step back from Astrid, its snout no more than an arm's length away from the girl.

And it waited.

And waited.

The moment stretched on, with both the nadder and Astrid standing statue-like, unmoving, unaware of their surroundings, and both wondering what was going to happen next.

Astrid knew what she was expected to do. It was just just that she was afraid to do it.

"Go on" Valka encouraged quietly, still supporting her at the shoulder.

And with that, it happened. Astrid reached out with her hand, trembling slightly, towards the dragon, though she stopped just short of touching her snout. She then, in a show of trust, she closed her eyes shut.

The dragons warm, scaly snout nuzzled her outstretched palm.

Astrid felt a strange, wonderful feeling inside her gut. A feeling that she had often felt when interacted with other dragons, but none of those times approached the intensity of this. It was a feeling of awe. Awe in the fact that one could reach a level of communication with someone so different. To have someone place their complete and total trust in you, and put yours in them.

It was wonderful, to know that you could put such complete trust in someone. And to know that they would always trust you.

"She needs a name." Valka whispered softly beside her, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"Stormfly"

The name came so automatically it was almost like it was god inspired. Apparently, the nadder agreed with the choice of name, because it let out a content purr and nuzzled Astrid in the chest.

And so Stormfly became Astrid's dragon

And Astrid became Stormfly's human.

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><p><strong>Thank you for all of the people who reviewed, favorited, and followed. It really means a lot to me when I can look and see how many people like reading my story. You guys inspire me to keep going. Thank you all!<strong>

**Where closing in on the end of Act 1, so everyone hold onto you hats. It's going to be a wild ride.**

**Have a good one!**


	9. Act 1:Fear, Love, and Lies

**I'M BACK!**

**Wow, only a week since I updated and it feels like it's been FOREVER since I wrote last. I had a crazy busy weekend, and of course school work is always a pain. But here we go. Next chapter.**

**One more before it's onto Act 2, and then things will start to get really interesting.**

**Also, in response to the review AdenineThymine, I'm not going to reveal just how bad of a bad guy Eric will be just yet. You may just have to read and find out. **

**Anyways, as always, Enjoy!**

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><p>Astrid resented the fact that she couldn't start riding on Stromfly that very same day, but Valka was insisted that she was in no condition to fly. Indeed, when Astrid collapsed halfway back to her bed, even she had to admit that she wasn't going to be doing anything strenuous for a good long while.<p>

And so she waited,

And waited.

And waited.

All in all, patience wasn't one of Astrid's strengths. She always wanted to be doing something, even if that something didn't accomplish anything at all. Even if it was just a stupid way to keep one's mind and body active, like chucking stones out into the ocean, it was better than laying in bed for what seemed like endless amounts of time.

In short, Astrid was bored.

Valka, Cloudjumper, and Stormfly certainly helped Astrid take her mind off her predicament. Stormfly spent nearly all her time with Astrid, waiting for the day her new human friend could get out of the cramped cave and get out into the fresh air again. Cloudjumper appeared less than pleased with the newest acquisition into the family, but then, he was probably just jealous now that Astrid was starting to favor the nadder over him.

Most of all, it was Valka who made sure Astrid was kept entertained throughout those long days. Astrid never would have guessed it before, but it turned out that the dragon rider was a rather gifted storyteller, whether she retold old fairytales or made up new ones on the spot. Immersed in those tales of mighty deeds and heroes long gone, Astrid could forget her about that fact that she was trapped in her bed, unable to create deeds of her own.

The tales were numerous and incredible. There was the story of Kragan the Seamaster, the first Viking to ever build a ship and go out to conquer the raging sea, to be swallowed by a raging maelstrom. There was the Marack the Bold, who won no less than seven wars in his day, each against tribes larger than his own.

Astrid drank it all in like a thirsty man drank water. These where all stories that she had heard before, along with many others, but she never got tired of listening to the mighty and great deeds of men long past. Perhaps she was shooting a little to high, but she hoped that one day she would earn a place among the warriors of legend.

A child's dream, perhaps, but one that Astrid felt certain she would fullfil one day.

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><p>"What are you afraid of?" Valka asked.<p>

They were sitting by alpha's pond at the middle of the sanctuary, dangling their feet out over the water. Valka had finally allowed Astrid to get out of bed and move around a bit, though the she still forbade the girl from doing any flying with Stromfly until she was fully recovered (which Astrid claimed she was.)

It took a moment for the girl to register the fact that Valka had spoken, as they had simply been sitting in silence for a long while, watching the dragons crisscross throughout the sky. When she fully came to realize what she had just been asked, Astrid bristled.

"I'm a Viking. I'm not afraid of anything."

She sounded angry, as if the mere implication of the question was an insult. But Valka just chuckled.

"Everyone is afraid of something. What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything." Astrid repeated.

"Yes you are." Valka replied " And I think I know what it is."

"What?"

"Being afraid."

Silence came over them as Astrid stared at Valka in complete confusion for several seconds, trying to make sense of seemingly nonsensical words.

"It is a common thing among Vikings." Valka continued. "You have been taught from a very young age that fear is a weakness, something that is not tolerated in Viking society. You have been taught that only if you have no fear can you be a true warrior."

"But…. Isn't that true? If you run from a fight, you let down those who count on you to fight for them and with them. That's what my brother used to tell me."

"Well, what if I told you that even the bravest Vikings in history had things they were afraid of?"

Astrid's eyes widened as if Valka had just uttered some unspeakable blasphemy.

"It's true. Everyone is afraid at some time in their life. There are many times that I find myself afraid. But brave people are brave because they have mastered their fear, not because they are never afraid."

"Mastered their fear?" Astrid echoed, now sounding genuinely curious.

"Yes" Valka replied, now turning to face Astrid more directly, her voice changing into the tone she used whenever she was explaining a new concept to the girl.

"Fear is completely natural. We are human, and therefore we feel fear. It is a part of who we are. The only time that fear is a bad thing is when fear overrules conscience."

"That is when fear is a problem." Valka continued. "Fear is supposed to advise your conscience, to prevent you from doing things that are foolhardy or stupid. But if your fear gets in the way of your conscience, and prevents you from doing the right thing, that is when it becomes a problem for you."

"But then" Astrid replied slowly, still trying to process everything Valka just said "How do I make my… conscience, stronger than my fear?"

"Ahh. Now you're on the right track. The truth is, the greatest thing we can do to decrease our fear of something is to learn more about them. "

"As Vikings, indeed, as humans, we are afraid of the unknown. When we don't know anything about something, we don't know how to react to it, or how it will affect us. That is what scares people most."

"But that can't be everything." Astrid said. "I mean, I knew this one boy back on Berk… Fishlegs. He knew tons about dragons, be he is still terrified of them. And another kid, Snotlout, he doesn't know the first thing about a dragon, yet he isn't afraid."

"That is because some people don't have the proper balance of fear. Some people are so wrapped up in their fear that they learn to act upon it rather than their conscience. Those people are true cowards, because their fear blinds them from doing what is right. And then there are those who have too little fear."

"How can you have too little fear?" Astrid asked, seeming to be growing more confused by the second.

"I've told you" Valka replied patiently "Fear is a part of who we are, and keeps us alive. Your fear is your minds way of telling you something is not safe, and if we ignore caution so completely that we have no fear at all, then we would end up dead in very short order."

"So then?" Astrid said slowly "How do I know if I have a balance?"

"That" Valka stated "is something you have to find out for yourself."

Astrid sighed in frustration.

"In truth, while I can teach you how to fear something less, I cannot make someone into a brave person. A coward is still a coward, and a reckless fool is still a reckless fool, and probably a dead fool. What you are, Astrid is for you alone to decide. "

"Though I don't think you will have much trouble with that."

"Why not?"

"Because, Astrid you are a very brave person, and it is much easier for a brave person to become more cautious than a cowardly person to become more brave."

After that, the two sat in silence for a long while, Astrid mulling over her most recent lesson and the meaning behind it. Around the small pond, Stormfly was darting all about, determined, so it seemed, to explore every inch of the sanctuary at once. Cloudjumper, on the other hand, was curled contently on the bank, dozing off in a patch of sunlight that managed to sneak it's way inside the icy fortress.

And all the while, Valka and Astrid sat side by side in silence, basking in the sounds, smells, and sights of the nest, marveling at its natural beauty.

It was Astrid who first broke the silence.

"Auntie Valka."

"Yes, Astrid?"

"You said that what we are afraid of is a part of who we are. That everyone is afraid of something. Right?"

"Yes."

"So.. what are you most afraid of?"

If the girl had turned and punched Valka in the gut, it would have had the same effect as that innocent question. The dragon rider actually rocked backwards for a second. Indeed, shouldn't she have expected such a question? Before, she had never put much thought into what she was afraid of. After all, she had been battling trappers and pirates for almost a decade now, freed dragons from under the noses of fellow Vikings, and shared a home with a Alpha Bewilderbeast, the mightiest dragon to ever live.

But though she felt fear when battling trappers or pirates or warlords, none of these were her worst fear. Nor fear of death, pain, or imprisonment. No, Valka afraid of something else, something she was ashamed to admit, even to herself.

She was afraid of her former home. She was afraid of the people who once knew her. Most especially she was afraid of the man she once loved.

She couldn't bear to face him again. She couldn't bear to look him in the eye and tell him she had abandoned him. She couldn't bear to look into his eyes and have those eyes reflect hate for her.

All because she had sided with the dragons.

"What I fear most" Valka started, speaking slowly to keep her voice from shaking "is the thought of losing those that I love."

Once again, silence came over the pair, broken only by the quiet rush of water over stone, and the occasional splash of Stormfly, who decided to see if the pool was inhabited by any tasty fish.

"I'm afraid of losing the people I love too" Astrid said "It's just, with all that you've taught me…. And what the people back at my village would say if I went back….. I don't know who I love anymore."

Wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders pulling her in closer even as she felt tears coming to her eyes.

She didn't know what she felt worse about; having to lie to this girl whom she had come to see as a daughter, or seeing that same girl talk about how she was afraid to love, not knowing whom had earned it.

"I will make a promise to you right now, Astrid. You have been like a daughter since you came here, and I haven't treated you as such. But you deserve more. I promise, from this day forward, that I will always love you, support you, and take care of you as a mother should. You deserve that much and more."

"But… what about my real mother? Do you think I will ever see her again."

Valka tried not to choke over her next words.

"May… Maybe."

And so from that day on, Valka was a mother again.

And she found out was it was like to lie to her child.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow... I don't even know what to say about this chapter. I just started writing and kept writing on and on and on and on and on... Well you get the idea.<strong>

**Anyways, have a good one!**


	10. Act 1: Apprentice and Mentor

**Last chapter before act 2 begins. **

**Here we go.**

* * *

><p>There were several differences key differences to flying with her dragon Stormfly, as opposed to flying on Cloudjumper, the eleven year old Astrid thought.<p>

First and foremost, she flew all by herself

Oh, sure Valka was flying with Cloudjumper almost wingtip-to-wingtip with her, but still, riding by yourself on a dragon was quite different from riding with some ones arm constantly wrapped around your waist.

It was exciting, though also a little bit unnerving. Stormfly was less to having a human on her back that Cloudjumper was, even after their two years together, and Astrid still felt herself wobbling a bit unsteadily in her seat from time to time. The fact that she rode without any sort of saddle made things all the more difficult.

"Steady, Astrid" the girl heard Valka say, though she hardly needed the advice. She was doing everything she could to balance as it was. And in a few more seconds, it was going to get even harder.

"Just like I told you Astrid…. That's it…. Slower…. Slower."

Moving very, very slowly, Astrid put her feet under her, planted them on to of Stomfly's back, and rose up.

Her feet lined up along the dragon's spine, her arms stretched out wide for balance, Astrid slowly moved herself into a standing position. Though she had seen Valka do it many times, (and when she made it look so easy too) Astrid still found it appallingly difficult.

Still, so far so good. Though she was struggling to stay on her feet every inch of the way, she had managed to stay balanced thus far. While 'thus far' only equated to a few moments, those few moments were longer than any previous attempt she had managed to do.

And then, after what seemed like an eternity, she was standing. Her knees slightly bent, her right foot out in front of her, her left behind and perpendicular to it, her arms spread wide for balance, she would have thought that she looked rather comical, were she not focusing so hard.

But after many attempts, she had succeeded. She had lost count of just how many times she had tumbled off of Stormfly's back while trying to achieve such a maneuver. Still, her Viking stubbornness pushed her onwards, even after dozens of failures.

And now here she was, standing balanced upon her dragon as they soared low above the vast blue ocean. Astrid risked a glance over at Valka, who was watching her with a wide smile, watching her from atop Cloudjumper's back. The older dragon riders eyes were full of pride at her adopted daughters accomplishment.

Astrid couldn't help herself. She let out a huge whoop of delight and exhilaration.

Then she was flying free, or rather falling. Tumbling head over heels through the open air to crash into the dark ocean.

* * *

><p>"You know, it could have been worse." Valka said cheerfully.<p>

She, Astrid, Stormfly, and Cloudjumper were all gathered around the fire they had hastily built, huddled close to soak up as much heat as possible. Valka was roasting a pair of fish over the fire, where as Astrid was stroking Stormfly under the chin with one hand, and trying to wring the water out of her sodden blond hair with the other.

"I don't see how. I failed _again._" Astrid replied, staring drearily into the fire.

"But you got further than you had gotten further than ever before, right?"

"Ya, but so what? It seems like every time I try, it always the same way. What if I never get it right?"

Stormfly, sensing her friends distress, nuzzled her shoulder gently.

"You thought the same way about riding on a dragon by yourself, if I remember correctly. You never thought you could get that right either."

"That was different."

"How so?"

"That is much easier. It-"

"Astrid" Valka interrupted "It doesn't matter how easy or hard it may be. The only thing that matters is that if you work hard enough at it, you can accomplish it. All it takes is time and hard work. And you have plenty of both."

"Besides" Valka continued, smirking "I think Stormfly might have made you fall. Maybe she thought you were in need of a little bath."

Astrid looked over at her dragon, who was suddenly looking very sheepish. Cloudjumper snorted in an amused way, smoke puffing out of his nostrils.

"And on that note" Valka said, standing up. "I have something for you."

The dragon rider reached over, near where here staff was laid out across the ground, but instead of picking up her weapon, she grabbed onto a large, cloth-covered bundle. Astrid had seen it earlier in the day, though only when Valka had brought it out at the beginning of the lesson. The girl hadn't questioned it then, but now she was a little curious at what might be inside.

Valka moved back to her seat and placed the bundle almost reverently on her lap, then slowly began pulling away the layers of cloth.

"Astrid, you have been here two summers now, and I have taught you a great deal. You and I know more about dragons than nearly anyone has ever dreamed of."

Valka's hands stopped moving as she reached the last layer of cloth covering whatever was within the bundle.

"Throughout your time here, you have shown me that you are responsible enough to earn this."

The final wrapping's fell away, and Astrid stared in awe.

It was a spear, corved with such perfection that it seemed to have simply grown out of a tree in the shape it was now. It was almost as long as Astrid was tall, made of some light brown wood she didn't recognize. Carved into the sides were flowing designs of dragon scales running along its entire length, as well as several holes, as if the weapon were a gigantic flute.

And the weapon didn't simply taper to a point at the end of its length. No, affixed to the end of its length was a nadder tail spine, blue and yellow, like the spines from Stormfly's own tail.

There was a long silence, stretching on through the air, until Astrid finally managed to stutter out.

"You… you made this for me?"

Valka nodded.

"I can't say I hope you will never use it, because if you never needed to, you wouldn't be able to pursue this way of life. But you have shown me that you are ready for the responsibility that comes with it.

Valka stood up, walked around the fire, and presented the weapon out for Astrid to take.

Astrid hesitated. She was sincerely touched by Valka's gift, but didn't know if she agreed with Valka's statement that she was ready for the responsibility it came with the gift. In Viking culture, the giving of a weapon was particularly significant, as it demonstrated not only your trust in the person you were giving the weapon to, but also your trust in their skills, and their ability to use that weapon competently.

And now, in handing over a weapon to Astrid, Valka was showing her confidence and trust to a girl no more that eleven years old.

Valka was giving her the power to fight. The power to defend herself and those she loved.

But Valka was also giving her the power to kill.

Astrid tentatively reached out and took the spear from Valka's outstretched hands.

It felt as smooth as it looked, almost liquid-like beneath her finger. It was also surprisingly light, a fact that Astrid didn't understand until she realized it was hallow. Then she was even more confused.

"Why is it hollow?" She asked curiously.

"Spin it." Was the only reply she got.

"What?"

"Spin it. Then you will understand."

Astrid held the spear up above her head, then began twirling it in her hands, slowly at first, the picking up speed as the wind passed through the holes in the weapon, producing a peculiar whistling sound.

"It is used to communicate with dragons. Like the rattles in your staff, right?"

"That's right. And now, Astrid, you have everything you need to be a true dragon rider…... well, almost everything."

Astrid eyed Valka curiously.

"What more do I need?"

"Something you can never get enough of."

"Practice?"

"That's it."

Astrid groaned.

* * *

><p>Two men stood across from each other on the docks of Berk. One carried a worn and beaten satchel over his shoulder and had a cold, determined look in his ice blue eyes. The other stood barley an arms length from his newly acquired ship.<p>

"…And you're sure that you have what it takes, boy. Dragon trapping is only for the best of the best."

Eric Hofferson looked the big trapper right in the eye and nodded confidently, an almost mocking smirk upon his lips

"And how do I know that you are up to the challenge, eh? You understand that I can't just accept any kid that comes to me looking for a job." Now Eret was matching Eric's smirk with one of his own.

In response, Eric pulled, from out of his battered satchel, a pair of black horns, each of them longer than one of his arms.

Monstrous Nightmare horns.

"I brought down the dragon these belonged to single-handedly" Eric explained "First dragon that I ever killed."

Still, Eret looked less than impressed.

"I've taken down plenty of Monstrous Nightmares in my day, boy. It'll take more than that to become a trapper."

"Still" Eret continued. "I am short a few crew members at the moment. How 'bout this? I'll give you a season on my ship. If you can prove to me you have what it takes to be a trapper, I might- _might_- consider you for a full time crew member."

"But if you aren't up to the challenge, we drop you off at that nearest port, and you can get your own way back home."

Eric didn't even have to consider the offer.

"Done" Eric said simply. "When do we leave?"

"When I say we do" Replied Eret, not missing a beat. "What's your name, boy"

"Hofferson. Eric Hofferson. And don't call me boy."

"A bit feisty, eh? Well _Eric_, how do your parents feel about this?'

"I'm eighteen summers old. I can make my own decisions."

"Fair enough" Eret's eyes glittered with something unreadable, then he said "And why do you want to be a trapper?"

"I have my own reasons." Eric said, a bit more defensively than he wanted to.

"You're coming on my ship. I'd like to know those reasons." Eret almost snarled

There was a pause.

"I…I hate dragons." Eric said, carefully keeping his voice steady.

"Nothing new there"

"This is different."

"And why, may I ask is that?" Eret was looking straight into Eric's eyes, searching for something to read in them.

"I lost someone to them."

Eret gave a short laugh.

"Gee, I've never heard that one before. Never met anyone who's lost family to a dra-"

"THIS IS DIFFERENT!" Eric shouted, interrupting the trapper.

"This is different" Eric repeated, softer, though his voice was wickedly cold. "I will pay if I have to die trying. And if you won't teach me how to trap dragons…. Then I will find someone who will."

Eret seemed to mull over the words in the long silence, rubbing his chin as he but on a thoughtful expression.

"Very well, Eric. You'll get your chance. We leave tomorrow morning at dawn. Don't be late."

And so Eret began training as a dragon trapper, ignorant to the fact that his little sister, Astrid, was two years into her training as a dragon rider.

The very thing he hoped to destroy.

* * *

><p><strong>And there we you have it folks. Act 1 is done. <strong>

**Now for a quick interlude chapter, then huge time skip, and then we are onto Act 2 **

**Then we'll get onto the REAL story**

**See you guys then, and as always, have a good one!**


	11. Interlude: Valkyrie

_How I have changed._

_I have grown in ways I hardly imagined when I was younger, ways that I don't fully understand even now._

_I have become something more than what I was. Indeed I feel like I have grown into something that is more than any human was every meant to be. I have grown to befriend the enemies of mankind, and I feel like, in doing so, I am defying some divine edict. Like the gods planned for humans and dragons to be enemies for all eternity, and I am ruining that lockstep plan._

_Or perhaps it's the other way around._

_For surely, I was meant for this life. A life with Valka as my mother, Cloudjumper as my friend, and of course, Stormfly as an even closer friend. Surely Vikings and dragons are meant for something more than constantly killing each other, fighting a war that neither of them wish to fight._

_And yet….I am still caught in a war. Though a very different kind of war. Because I fight on the side of the dragons. _

_It's the dragons, Valka, and me against…. Well, everyone else._

_We fight trappers, warlords, slavers, pirates, and all manner of men (and women) across the Archipelago. Throughout the last decade of my life, I have seen little more the worst humankind has to offer, the men who are the reason wars begin._

_I know that it is just to fight them. I know that they are deserving of my wrath. I know that, in thwarting their plans and freeing their prisoners, I am making the world a better place. _

_And yet, I find myself feeling…. less than content._

_I have everything any Viking could ever want. I have become a warrior more skilled and powerful than most could even dream of. I have a family who love me for who I am, no matter my mistakes. And I am free as anyone in the whole world could possibly be._

_But there is one thing I feel I am lacking in my life._

_And that is purpose._

_Purpose. Something people waste their whole lives trying to find. Something people may not realize they have until they have lost it, for they don't recognize it for what it is. The ability to move towards a goal, and on that journey, make yourself a better person along the way. It is something I wish I had, and something I used to find in the life I have been living._

_But no longer. Because for every dragon that we free from the clutches of a trapper, three more are doomed to a live of slavery and misery. For every pirate ship we wipe of the map, three more are there to continue pillaging and raiding. And for every warlord we dethrone, there are three more to take his place._

_In short, the difference that Valka and I are making seems so very… miniscule._

_Because no matter how hard we fight, there will always be wicked men who haunt the world. No matter if we had a dozen, or a hundred, or a thousand more dragon riders, there would be men who get away with acts so violent, greedy, and cruel that it makes me sick just to think of them. It makes me even more sick to think that it cannot e stopped, no more than I could stop the tide from moving in and out, or stop the sun from setting at dusk and rising at dawn._

_And so I have no purpose, for my goal, the cleansing of evil from all the world, is impossible. _

_I still press onwards, though. I continue to fight this war, a war I don't believe we can ever end, much less win. Because Valka told me something that I have to believe in. _

_She told me that those who are good and just will always triumph over those who are evil and cruel. She told me that the things good people fight for; honor, friendship, and love, will are always stronger than the reasons that unjust men fight. _

_For community, friendship, love, and honor are things worth fighting for, because the principles behind each of these values are all the same._

_Selflessness. _

_A man who truly places something above himself will always be stronger than a man who places himself above all else. Stronger not in contest of the physical, but stronger in heart, which is more important by far. I say truly that a single selfless man has more value than a thousand selfless ones. _

_But do I hate men who are selfish? No_

_I pity them. Sometimes, I even weep for them._

_For I have known true friendship, and true love. I love Valka as a mother, and I love Stormfly as my dearest friend. I treasure that love more than anything in this world, and to see those who love only themselves is sad thing indeed. For that is not what we were made to be. _

_So do not pity me for my hard life. Do not pity me for fighting a war that I cannot win, even if I lived for a thousand years. For I fight for love, for peace, for justice, and for good._

_No, if you seek someone to pity, then pity those I fight. Pity those small-minded, stone-hearted men. For they fight for greed, revenge, anger, and hate, things that are worse less than their own miserable lives. If they can be made to turn away from their evil ways, to learn and grow into something that can make the world a better place, then let them prove it. For if they have the capacity to change, then that change should be a reason for celebration, a rallying point for those who believe our world is not beyond redemption._

_But some minds will not be changed. _

_To those men, men who are tainted and warped beyond the point of redemption, I am not Astrid Hofferson. No, Astrid is a person who knows mercy, love, and kindness, something not worth wasting on men such as these. _

_To all the evil men of the Northern Seas, I have made a new name for myself. A name whispered with fear._

_To those I hunt, I am known only as the Valkyrie._

_In our tongue, Valkyrie means 'Chooser of the Slain_

_ -Astrid Hofferson, Dragon Rider's Apprentice_


End file.
